We have seen some great in-season tournaments in the past (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, etc.), but the Players Era Festival has simply taken things to another level. Last year’s debut featured 8 teams, but this year there is an 18-team field featuring some of the best teams from the best conferences in the country. It is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Sin City with an interview of Michelle Cadeau, whose son Elliot plays for Michigan.
Your son Elliot played several sports while growing up: how did he end up focusing on basketball? It is kind of a funny story. In 3rd grade he had not yet played basketball and wanted to play flag football because he was really good at it. However, he was playing with older boys and was a competitive kid so I was worried about him getting injured. I found a basketball organization that would let him play year round, whereas flag football was basically a 6-week season in the summer. He decided to play basketball, so that week we went to his 1st practice, and the rest is history.
In 2019 his club team (Sports U/Team IZOD) won the Under Armour Nationals, in 2022 he was named MVP for Sweden the FIBA U18 European Championship Division B, and in 2023 his Link Academy team won the GEICO Nationals championship: how is he able to play his best when it matters the most? He was extremely competitive even as a little kid. Winning is the most important thing to him and he has always been good at closing games out. I remember at the GEICO tourney he only had 2 PTS in 1 of the games, but then the following game he scored 15+ PTS. He understands his role and does whatever is needed of him for the team to win.
He missed his entire high school sophomore season due to a high ankle sprain he suffered during a scrimmage: how bad was it, and how was he able to get back onto the court? He actually tore a deltoid in his 1st foot during the very last scrimmage before the season started. I was watching the game with my other son: I heard a pop and then saw Elliot on the court in pain. The team only played 5 games the previous year due to COVID so he was really looking forward to that season. It was very tough on him both physically/mentally: he got off Instagram because he was tired of seeing all his other friends dunking. He worked hard to get back but was out until May.
In 2024 at UNC he was named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-America team: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? He had previously reclassified down to give himself more choices. In Sweden he played with/against pro basketball players, and as an 18-year old he felt that he was just as good as the pros. He was not promised a starting spot but he was ready to go to college. He worked extremely hard at Link Academy the previous summer.
He has won 4 ACC tourney games/3 NCAA tourney games during his career: do you have a favorite memory from his postseason success? The win over San Diego State in the NCAA tourney last March stands out the most to me. He was really sick last spring and was in/out of the hospital while getting IV fluids. As a mom, to see him come back and play like himself was 1 of my favorite memories.
Last year he led the ACC with 231 AST/113 TO: what is his secret to being a great passer, and is he focusing on cutting down his turnovers this season? His superpower is that he is a millisecond quicker in his thinking than everyone else…but when you are sick you lose that millisecond. He has a very big heart and it is obvious that he is an unselfish player, which rubs off on the rest of the team. He is a pass-first PG who wants to make everyone happy. He and Tahaad Pettiford had great chemistry. They have played together since the 3rd grade so Elliot would not even have to look downcourt: he would just throw 94-foot-long passes to Tahaad:
Why did he decide to transfer last March, and what made him choose Michigan? He is very proud of his 2 years at UNC, but did not feel it was conducive to what he wanted to do with his career. He knew what kind of coach he wanted to play for and spoke to some people in his circle: 1 of the names that came up early was Dusty May. He watched the Auburn-Michigan NCAA tourney game last March and then called Dusty that weekend to say he wanted to come to Ann Arbor. The players play free because Dusty and his staff trust their players.
His father James/brother Justin both play tennis: who is the best athlete in the family? Me! Elliot is the most natural-born athlete. Tennis requires you to be much stronger mentally, but body-wise Elliot has the highest vertical jump.
He had 12 AST/3 STL in a win over San Diego State in the 2025 1st 4 and Wednesday is the 1-year anniversary of him scoring 10 PTS in a loss to Auburn at the Maui Invitational: any predictions for his rematches with the Aztecs/Tigers this week? We beat the Aztecs yesterday by 40 so that 1 is already in the books. Elliot lost to his best friend Tahaad at Maui so everyone will come out Tuesday firing on all cylinders. I hope that Tahaad performs well…but I think that Michigan will win.
